Sunday, January 31, 2010
Rita Lowes of Read an E-Book Week interviewed
Head on over to No Shelf Required for an interview with Rita Lowes, founder of Read an E-Book Week. If you haven't already, also head on over to this post for a chance to win a $15 gift card to your choice of Amazon or the Sony Reader Bookstore, the card is being given in honor of Rita's efforts to publicize E-Books.
Two free fiction titles by James Scott Bell for Kindle users
Sins of the Fathers, by James Scott Bell is free for a limited time for Kindle users. A parent's worst nightmare.A lawyer's biggest challenge.A young boy's life on the line.The unimaginable has happened. A thirteen-year-old boy has fired a rifle into a baseball game, killing several of the kids on the field. Parents are devastated. The townspeople are horrified. When public opinion swells to an enraged cry for justice, an ambitious deputy district attorney sees his opportunity-a sensational trial that will catapult him into the D.A.'s office in the upcoming election. There's just one obstacle: the boy-s defense attorney, Lindy Field. To all appearances, the case is a slam-dunk. Convict the killer, make him pay. But it's not that simple. Lindy's young client is unwilling-or unable-to help Lindy defend him. And as the case progresses, it becomes clear that someone doesn't want the truth revealed. As Lindy delves into the haunted world of her client's torment, she finds a spiritual darkness that dredges up her own troubled past. And when dangerous forces close in around her, Lindy must fight for answers not only in the justice system, but in the very depths of her soul.
Also free for a limited time is James Scott Bell's "Deadlock". In this legal thriller for the evangelical Christian market, former trial lawyer- turned-novelist Bell imagines what would happen if a prochoice, atheistic Supreme Court Justice suddenly became a born-again believer. A near brush with death and the sudden loss of her mother leaves 52-year-old liberal Justice Millicent "Millie" Hollander pondering eternity and considering faith. When she becomes chief justice, Millie discovers that the belief she has embraced excites a firestorm of confusion and anger from her former supporters. A case involving a separation of religion and state opens up a huge rift in the Court, and the media soon turns the whole affair into a three-ring circus. Alarmed about Millie's potentially conservative positions, the president and stereotypically hard-drinking, womanizing Sen. Sam Levering plot her impeachment and possibly her death. A weak subplot concerns a teen's abortion and subsequent lawsuit against the clinic where it was performed, which rather unconvincingly intersects with Millie's story toward the close of the novel. Portions of the plot aren't completely fresh Angela Elwell Hunt's recent The Justice ably tackled the same general topic for the same audience. But Bell's take on the idea of a Supreme Court justice making a religious about-face offers some unique spins, including a curveball plot development that will blindside most readers. Laudably, most characters are multidimensional, and even the senator's evil troubleshooter, Anne Deveraux, becomes worthy of pity. Evangelical prolife fiction aficionados should appreciate this addition to the CBA thriller genre.
Amazon to Macmillan: you win!
Amazon has caved in the dispute with Macmillan:
The strangest part to me is the statement that "Macmillan has a monopoly over their own titles". Duh? As of this time, Macmillan titles are absolutely back in print. I just spot checked "Impact", which is still available at Barnes and Noble, but no Kindle edition in sight at Amazon. Go ahead and read up at Amazon, there are some great comments.
Macmillan, one of the "big six" publishers, has clearly communicated to us that, regardless of our viewpoint, they are committed to switching to an agency model and charging $12.99 to $14.99 for e-book versions of bestsellers and most hardcover releases.
We have expressed our strong disagreement and the seriousness of our disagreement by temporarily ceasing the sale of all Macmillan titles. We want you to know that ultimately, however, we will have to capitulate and accept Macmillan's terms because Macmillan has a monopoly over their own titles, and we will want to offer them to you even at prices we believe are needlessly high for e-books. Amazon customers will at that point decide for themselves whether they believe it's reasonable to pay $14.99 for a bestselling e-book. We don't believe that all of the major publishers will take the same route as Macmillan. And we know for sure that many independent presses and self-published authors will see this as an opportunity to provide attractively priced e-books as an alternative.
The strangest part to me is the statement that "Macmillan has a monopoly over their own titles". Duh? As of this time, Macmillan titles are absolutely back in print. I just spot checked "Impact", which is still available at Barnes and Noble, but no Kindle edition in sight at Amazon. Go ahead and read up at Amazon, there are some great comments.
ePub with DRM is not necessarily Adobe Digital Editions
When Apple announced that they've embraced the ePub format, Steve Jobs wasn't being disingenuous when he called it an industry standard - it's certainly as close to a universal format for eBooks as there is. Arguably, PDF is a slightly more "standard" format, in that most ePub readers support PDF and the Kindle series supports PDF, but not ePub - but no matter how you slice it, ePub is a major, major file format.
That said, ePub is a format that leaves room for DRM, but is inherently an open, free file format. To date, the majority of popular implementations of ePub either are software with no DRM support, or support via the popular Adobe Digital Editions. While Apple embraces PDF in their mobile devices (it's a ubiquitous format with no real mainstream alternative), they generally are a heavy competitor of Adobe. They push HTML5 and h.264 video over Flash, Aperture over Lightroom, iPhoto over Photoshop Elements, Final Cut Pro over Adobe Premier, iMovie over Premier Elements, and so on. They're embroiled in a major public brouhaha over supporting Flash on the iPhone, and now the iPad.
There's plenty on the web about the Flash vs Apple dispute and those little blue boxes on iPhones where Flash content would normally go - this is a specialized blog and not a technology one, so I'll leave it at this: Apple is looking to embrace their own technologies, or open standards, and that leaves them at odds with things like Flash or Adobe Digital Editions. They have a longstanding DRM solution called Fairplay, which works flawlessly with their own products and not at all with competitors. This is why they've opted away from Adobe Digital Editions. They don't want you reading Apple purchased content on your Sony Reader... they want you to buy an iPad.
That said, ePub is a format that leaves room for DRM, but is inherently an open, free file format. To date, the majority of popular implementations of ePub either are software with no DRM support, or support via the popular Adobe Digital Editions. While Apple embraces PDF in their mobile devices (it's a ubiquitous format with no real mainstream alternative), they generally are a heavy competitor of Adobe. They push HTML5 and h.264 video over Flash, Aperture over Lightroom, iPhoto over Photoshop Elements, Final Cut Pro over Adobe Premier, iMovie over Premier Elements, and so on. They're embroiled in a major public brouhaha over supporting Flash on the iPhone, and now the iPad.
There's plenty on the web about the Flash vs Apple dispute and those little blue boxes on iPhones where Flash content would normally go - this is a specialized blog and not a technology one, so I'll leave it at this: Apple is looking to embrace their own technologies, or open standards, and that leaves them at odds with things like Flash or Adobe Digital Editions. They have a longstanding DRM solution called Fairplay, which works flawlessly with their own products and not at all with competitors. This is why they've opted away from Adobe Digital Editions. They don't want you reading Apple purchased content on your Sony Reader... they want you to buy an iPad.
Macmillan followup
As a quick followup (as it's been reported all over the place) - it was no technical snafu, and Macmillan published books are absolutely unavailable via Amazon (except through third party resellers). This includes both print and electronic editions. I have a lot of thoughts about the pricing brouhaha and will be editorializing them soon, probably in a posting tomorrow.
Lack of site updates this weekend...
Sorry to my many new readers for the relative lack of updates this weekend - I had a family situation to attend to, now addressed. I'll have lots of updates starting tomorrow morning. Thanks again!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Why I'd still like an iPad or Skiff
Very relaxing to sit in Barnes and Noble with some tea, an eReader and a magazine, but I'd prefer an eMagazine.
-- Posted from my iPhone
-- Posted from my iPhone
Location:NW 28th St,Margate,United States
New York Times Fiction Hardcover Best Sellers for Feb. 7, 2010 - eBook Prices
Each week I compare the eBook prices of the New York Times Fiction Hardcover Best Seller list at Amazon's Kindle Store, Barnes and Nobles' eBook Store, Sony's Reader Store and KoboBooks to help determine how competitive each major eBook store is.
An interesting week, as Kobo and Sony have two bestsellers not available. Amazon and B&N are missing one, plus some are only available through pre-order. Interestingly, a Macmillan title is mysteriously absent from Amazon.
The New York Times Best Seller List Hard Cover Fiction, Sunday, Feb. 7th, 2010 | |||||
# | Book Name and Author | Amazon | B&N | Sony | Kobo |
1 | THE HELP | 8.55 | 8.55 | 9.99 | 8.55 |
by Kathryn Stockett | |||||
2 | KISSER | 9.99 | 9.99 | 12.99 | 9.99 |
by Stuart Woods | |||||
3 | THE LOST SYMBOL | 9.60 | 9.60 | 9.99 | 9.60 |
by Dan Brown | |||||
4 | THE BURNING LAND | 9.09 (2) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
by Bernard Cornwell | |||||
5 | THE FIRST RULE | 9.99 | 9.99 | 12.99 | 9.99 |
by Robert Crais | |||||
6 | THE LAST SONG | 4.99 | 4.99 | 9.99 | 8.09 |
by Nicholas Sparks | |||||
7 | THE SWAN THIEVES | 8.79 (2) | 9.99 (2) | N/A | N/A |
by Elizabeth Kostova | |||||
8 | THE WOLF AT THE DOOR | 9.99 | 9.99 | 12.99 | 9.99 |
by Jack Higgins | |||||
9 | ROSES | 9.99 | 9.99 | 9.99 | 9.99 |
by Leila Meacham | |||||
10 (1) | I, ALEX CROSS | 9.99 | 9.99 | 9.99 | 9.99 |
by James Patterson | |||||
11 | IMPACT | N/A (3) | 8.87 (2) | N/A | N/A |
by Douglas Preston | |||||
12 | THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE | 8.00 | 8.00 | 9.99 | 8.00 |
by Stieg Larsson | |||||
13 | NOAH’S COMPASS | 9.99 | 9.99 | 9.99 | 9.99 |
by Anne Tyler | |||||
14 | I, SNIPER | 9.99 | 9.99 | 12.99 | 9.99 |
by Stephen Hunter | |||||
15 (1) | DEEPER THAN THE DEAD | 9.99 | 9.99 | 12.99 | 9.99 |
by Tami Hoag | |||||
Total Price: | 128.94 1 | 129.92 1 | 134.88 5 | 114.16 5 | |
(1) Sales virtually indistinguishable from the title above. | |||||
(2) Title available for pre-order. | |||||
(3) This title is a Macmillan title and may be withheld due to dispute with Amazon. | |||||
(4) One item not available. | |||||
(5) Three items not available. | |||||
New York Times Nonfiction Hardcover Best Sellers for Feb. 7, 2010 - eBook Prices
Each week I compare the eBook prices of the New York Times Fiction Hardcover Best Seller list at Amazon's Kindle Store, Barnes and Nobles' eBook Store, Sony's Reader Store and KoboBooks to help determine how competitive each major eBook store is.
| The New York Times Best Seller List Hard Cover Nonfiction, Sun. Feb. 7th, 2010 | |||||
| # | Book Name and Author | Amazon | B&N | Sony | Kobo |
| 1 | GAME CHANGE | 8.61 2 | 9.99 2 | N/A | N/A |
| by John Heilemann & Mark Halperin | |||||
| 2 | COMMITTED | 9.99 | 9.99 | 11.99 | 9.99 |
| by Elizabeth Gilbert | |||||
| 3 | STONES INTO SCHOOLS | 9.99 | 9.99 | 9.99 | 9.99 |
| by Greg Mortenson | |||||
| 4 | HAVE A LITTLE FAITH | 9.88 | 9.88 | 9.99 | 9.88 |
| by Mitch Albom | |||||
| 5 | GOING ROGUE | 9.99 | 9.99 | 9.99 | 9.99 |
| by Sarah Palin | |||||
| 6 | OUTLIERS | 9.40 | 9.40 | 9.99 | 9.40 |
| by Malcolm Gladwell | |||||
| 7 | JUST KIDS | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| by Patti Smith | |||||
| 8 | THE CHECKLIST MANIFESTO | N/A 3 | 9.99 | 9.99 | 9.99 |
| by Atul Gawande | |||||
| 9 | SUPERFREAKONOMICS | 9.99 | 9.99 | 9.99 | 9.99 |
| by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner | |||||
| 10 1 | WHAT THE DOG SAW | 9.00 | 9.00 | 9.99 | 9.00 |
| by Malcolm Gladwell | |||||
| 11 | DRIVE | 9.99 | 9.99 | 12.99 | 9.99 |
| by Daniel H. Pink | |||||
| 12 | OPEN | 9.99 | 9.99 | 9.99 | 9.99 |
| by Andrew Agassi | |||||
| 13 | INTELLECTUALS AND SOCIETY | 9.99 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| by Thomas Sowell | |||||
| 14 | EVIDENCE OF THE AFTERLIFE | 9.99 | 9.99 | 13.99 | N/A |
| by Jeffrey Long w/ Paul Perry | |||||
| 15 | TOO BIG TO FAIL | 9.99 | 9.99 | 9.99 | 9.99 |
| by Andrew Ross Sorkin | |||||
| | Total Price: | 126.80 4 | 128.18 4 | 128.88 5 | 108.20 6 |
| | Average Price: | 9.75 | 9.86 | 10.74 | 9.84 |
| | (1) Sales virtually indistinguishable from the title above. | ||||
| | (2) Title available for pre-order. | ||||
| | (3) This title is a Macmillan title and may be withheld due to dispute with Amazon. | ||||
| | (4) Two titles not available for sale. | ||||
| | (5) Three titles not available for sale. | ||||
| | (6) Four titles not available for sale. | ||||
As with the Fiction Best Seller list, a Macmillan book is conspicuously absent from the Amazon ranks. No one bookseller manages to keep the same titles available for purchase which makes the total prices fairly hard to analyze. One thing is for sure, Sony seems hellbent on not playing the $9.99 game at any cost to their bottom line. It's quite astonishing how many unavailable titles (or pre-order titles) are on my reading list. I would probably pay $15 for those titles, and perhaps Apple knows this?